Investigation of chronic toxicity of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles administered orally for one year in wistar rats.

Although the toxicity/biocompatibility of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nano HA), a prospective nano biomaterial is extensively studied, its interaction on biological systems following chronic exposure is less exploited. In the present study, Wistar rats were given various concentrations of nano HA in the diet to determine the chronic toxicity and potential carcinogenicity. Altogether 140 rats were used for the study under various administration dosages along with control. The animals were sacrificed after 12months of controlled continuous dosing. All in-life parameters, including body weight, food consumption, clinical observations, survival, biochemical and hematology, were unaffected by the chronic exposure of nano HA orally. Similarly, gross and histopathological evaluation was also unchanged following exposure to nano HA. No evidence of nano HA-related lesions or Nano HA-induced neoplasia was suggested in this rodent bioassay study.

Toxicity, toxicokinetics and biodistribution of dextran stabilized Iron oxide Nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Advancement in the field of nanoscience and technology has alarmingly raised the call for comprehending the potential health effects caused by deliberate or unintentional exposure to nanoparticles. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles have an increasing number of biomedical applications and hence a complete toxicological profile of the nanomaterial is therefore a mandatory requirement prior to its intended usage to ensure safety and to minimize potential health hazards upon its exposure. The present study elucidates the toxicity of in house synthesized Dextran stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (DINP) in a regulatory perspective through various routes of exposure, its associated molecular, immune, genotoxic, carcinogenic effects and bio distribution profile. Synthesized ferrite nanomaterials were successfully coated with dextran (<25nm) and were physicochemically characterized and subjected to in vitro and in vivo toxicity evaluations. The results suggest that surface coating of ferrite nanoparticles with dextran helps in improvising particle stability in biological environments. The nanoparticles do not seem to induce oxidative stress mediated toxicological effects, nor altered physiological process or behavior changes or visible pathological lesions. Furthermore no anticipated health hazards are likely to be associated with the use of DINP and could be concluded that the synthesized DINP is nontoxic/safe to be used for biomedical applications.

Mechanoresponsiveness of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in in vitro chondrogenesis-A comparative study with growth factor induction.

Fetal-derived mesenchymal stem cells especially human umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs), with their ease of availability, pluripotency, and high expansion potential have emerged as an alternative solution for stem cell based cartilage therapies. An attempt to elucidate the effect of dynamic mechanical compression in modulating the chondrogenic differentiation of hUCMSCs is done in this study to add on to the knowledge of optimizing chondrogenic signals necessary for the effective differentiation of these stem cells and subsequent integration to the surrounding tissues. hUCMSCs were seeded in porous poly (vinyl alcohol)-poly (caprolactone) (PVA-PCL) scaffolds and cultured in chondrogenic medium with/without TGF-ß3 and were subjected to a dynamic compression of 10% strain, 1 Hz for 1/4 h for 7 days. The results on various analysis shows that the extent of dynamic compression is an important factor affecting cell viability. Mechanical stimulation in the form of dynamic compression stimulates expression of chondrogenic genes even in the absence of chondrogenic growth factors and also augments growth factor induced chondrogenic potential of hUCMSC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2554-2566, 2016.

An in vitro study on the interaction of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for assessing the toxicological behaviour.

Mesenchymal stem cells or multipotent progenitor cells isolated from bone marrow presents close resemblance to the natural in vivo milieu and hence preferred more than the conventional cell culture systems to predict the toxicological behavior of bio-nano interaction. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the molecular toxicity of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) using mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). In-house synthesized HANPs (50 nm) were used to study the cytotoxicity, nano particle uptake, effect on cyto skeletal arrangement, oxidative stress response and apoptotic behavior with the confluent BMSCs as per standard protocols. The results of the MTT assay indicated that HANPs does not induce cytotoxicity up to 800 µg/mL. It was also observed that oxidative stress related apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production following nanoparticle treatment was similar to that of control (cells without treatment). Hence it can be concluded that the in-house synthesized HANPs are non-toxic/safe at the molecular level suggesting that the HANPs are compatible to BMSCs. Further, the in vitro BMSCs cell culture can be used as a model for evaluating the preliminary toxicity of nanomaterials.

Cells-nano interactions and molecular toxicity after delayed hypersensitivity, in guinea pigs on exposure to hydroxyapatite nanoparticles.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the cells-nanoparticle interactions and molecular toxicity after delayed hypersensitivity in Guinea pigs, exposed to hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANP). The study focuses on synthesizing and characterizing HANPs and gaining an insight into the cytotoxicity, molecular toxicity, hypersensitivity and oxidative stress caused by them in vitro and in vivo. HANP was synthesized by chemical method and characterized by standard methods. Cytotoxicity was assessed on L929 cells by MTT assay and in vitro studies were carried out on rat liver homogenate. In vivo study was carried out by topical exposure of Guinea pigs with HANP, repeatedly, and evaluating the skin sensitization potential, blood parameters, oxidative stress in liver and brain and DNA damage (8-hydroxyl-2-deoxyguanosine: 8-OHdG) in liver. The results of the study indicated that there was no cytotoxicity (up to 600µg/mL) and oxidative damage (up to 100µg/mL), when exposed to HANPs. It was also evident that, there was no skin sensitization and oxidative damage when HANP were exposed to Guinea pigs.

Engineering cartilage tissue interfaces using a natural glycosaminoglycan hydrogel matrix--an in vitro study.

Hydrogels are suitable matrices for cartilage tissue engineering on account of their resemblance to native extracellular matrix of articular cartilage and also considering its ease of application, they can be delivered to the defect site in a minimally invasive manner. In this study, we evaluate the suitability of a fast gelling natural biopolymer hydrogel matrix for articular cartilage tissue engineering. A hydrogel based on two natural polymers, chitosan and hyaluronic acid derivative was prepared and physicochemically characterized. Chondrocytes were then encapsulated within the hydrogel and cultured over a period of one month. Cartilage regeneration was assessed by histological, biochemical and gene expression studies. Chondrocytes maintained typical round morphology throughout the course of this investigation, indicating preservation of their phenotype with sufficient production of extracellular matrix and expression of typical chondrogenic markers Collagen type 2 and aggrecan. The results suggest that the natural polymer hydrogel matrix can be used as an efficient matrix for articular cartilage tissue engineering.